The 24th West Coast Goodguys Nationals Pleasanton

Hot rodders have always been good at adaptation. Taking something that was meant for one purpose and modifying it to do something else has been the hallmark of the hobby since its inception. The Goodguys Rod and Custom Association has also figured out how to do the same thing with their series of car shows by infusing a mix of showmanship and fun in with the thousands of cars that show up to their events.

2/38Clean and subtle are only a few of the words you can use to describe Tony Miller's '56 Ford. Obviously a Blue Oval guy, Miller, who hails from San Pedro, CA, also had a 351/4R70W engine and trans combo under the hood.

At it now for nearly a quarter century, Goodguys has developed 23 annual events spread all over the United States to cater to rodders, offering them what no one else can-three days of rod-related festivities to the extreme. And their West Coast Nationals, presented this year by Flowmaster and held at the Alameda County Fair facility in Pleasanton, California, has just celebrated its 24th year of giving rodders what they want.

Long known as an alternative to the standard parking lot type of rod show, the Goodguys add a host of mini events (seminars, displays, swap meets, etc.) within their event, along with specialty parking areas (Ya Gotta Drive 'Em, Deuce Doin's, Good Wood, Trick Truck Corral) to expose rodders to every aspect of what the hot rodding world has to offer. Add to that this particular event is where Goodguys names the winners of their America's Most Beautiful Street Rod, Muscle Car of the Year, and their Truck of the Year awards, as well as it being a location for a group of Goodguys Builder's Choice awards and 10 more STREET RODDER Top 100 award winners and Best Ford in a Ford, and you can bet the quality is extremely high at this show.

3/38True, you don't see many '41 Studebakers much anymore, let alone one made into a hot rod. Larry Hutchinson and his Champion rolled in from Wenatcher, WA.

And, if you were able to show up early in the week, several Bay Area tours were happening each day. Rodders had a choice of going to see vintage oil can collections, Vern Tardel's Flathead Ranch, the Ram's Head Auto Collection of rare Plymouth, Dodge, and Chryslers, a tour of Sacramento Vintage Ford, and more, plus cruising through some of the most beautiful Napa-area wine country roads California has to offer. To top that off with a three-day hot rod show that sees more than 3,000 of the West Coast's finest vehicles in one spot is almost too much to take in.

4/38Driving in from Windsor, CA, Chuck Spratling arrived in style with his '50 Oldsmoabile two-door. The five-spoke wheels accentuate the early '60s hot rod appeal of this ride.

If the rumor that the West Coast has some of the finest hot rods in the country is true then the Goodguys West Coast Nationals in Pleasanton proves it, year in and year out. We can only believe that next year's event, their 25th anniversary, will be one hell of a blowout!

Painless Performance Products presents Street Rodder Top 100
For the Top 100 program, STREET RODDER attends 10 particular car shows each year and picks 10 vehicles at each to make up the Top 100. For more on where those shows are and how they're voted on, check www.streetrodderweb.com.

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Tech Tip
Computers and Welding
Never weld on the chassis or other parts of your ride without disconnecting the battery and also the computer, if so equipped. Electrical surges from welding can cause internal circuitry failure in a computer and could cause gases from the battery to explode.

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Alternator Output
When choosing an alternator for your ride, always ask what the output is at idle. We all idle around the fairgrounds and the output at idle is more important than the maximum output rating. Be sure to only purchase one that has a minimum of 70 amps at idle.